DREDG and a microphone - ARENA/Vienna - 26th of October

Stormy weather outside, freezy and normaly the time for a tasty tea. You can give a shit about that when the San Francisco based band Dredg is in town. Here we are.....


You are in Austria since two days, played two shows, in Graz and Salzburg. How was it?

GAVIN: Yeah, they were good, kind of mellow shows but good shows. We´ve never been in Graz, so that was cool. We knew Salzburg, we had been there in 2002.

You are on tour with your new album „The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion“ which is influenced by the words of Salman Rushdies Essay. I read it aswell and found myself agreeing to his thoughts. Can you remember the moment when you decided to do what is most important for you – the music – no matter what all the people around you said.

GAVIN: Yeah, I mean. I start playing guitar at six grade or so and that was pretty when i got into it, and lasted up through highschool but practicing a lot. But as a band I guess probably late ninetees or something around that time.

DINO: I start playing piano when i was really young, so as kind I was always playing music and my mother played music too since i was baby, so…..

So, you started with piano?

DINO: Yeah, at about five for like ten years. And then i start playing drums. I never realised that it´s what i do, because it was all the time the thing I did.

On the 1st of october there was a happening in NYC´s Housing Works where Dredg together with Salman Rushdie had organized an event. Would you say that this special concert was one of the most important and interesting moments in your (musical career or in your) career as an artist?

GAVIN: Definitely, it was very different and the show turned out really well. From a fun racing scanpointer it is sucessfull and they were very please. A well rounded evening i think. It was more a mellow show, without drums, only Roland Syntie, Keys, Guitars and Dino played Piano. It was in a bookstore, so we tried to make it bookstore´esk

In what way had the Split from your old label, the major Interscope, to your new one, the indie Ohlone Recordings, affected the work of the album. Was it hard to follow the concept, and was it also a reason for the various release dates of the album? Did you have more freedom in making the record with all the things you loved (to do afterwards?)

DINO: It was definitely part of the delay, you know. That took so long to make a album, because we were dealing so long, it was a long process that we actually left there and were kind of part away. During that whole like decision time and it was a lot of like delay. Just month, you know. We wrote a few songs, we were all kind of new, tried some more things, wanted to see some more. It was kind of a stretched up ending of the relationship. That was a big part and definitely a year of that kind of stuff going on and as far as the beginning of making the new record. And yeah, everyone would say that since we´ve been kind of our own it´s great. Making the album just for ourselfs and not feeling this pressure, i mean we never felt this pressure but it´s defenitelly better…

You recorded the album in your studio?

GAVIN: No, that wasn´t our studio. We decided a rehersal space. There are some studios around the bay area, and we recorded a few tracks in L.A. as well. Also in a studio in the north of San Francisco and in two studios in San Francisco as well. Yeah, and at a studio called Barefoot in L.A.

Oh, alright. I Ask this, because at The Leaflets i´ve seen this awesome studio with all this instruments and i also loved the bicycle ride to the studio.

GAVIN: (laughing) Oh yeah, it´s a beautiful location. That studio does not exist anymore, we were one of the last bands which recorded there. It´s kind of sad anyway.

You said one day that Dredg stands for „Discovering the World“, for transformation – because only when you go on journeys into unexplored areas you learn how to see things differently. You changed the producer – did you feel that Terry Pate would not be able to make this record?

GAVIN: We need a ingenieur and producer after sound a little different. So, you know, every record has kind of place for it´s persons. Mat Radosevich, we worked with on the new record. is a lot more musical than other people we worked with, so, he brought another element at the mix aswell. You know, every experience is a lot different.

In the song „Ireland“ you´re talking about the topic when we don´t move ourselves, when we stay at the same place, always with the same things around - which are in fact comfortable, but at the same time we´re losing our sight for the adventure, for discovering new things, new cultures…
No one of you really has this problem because of your touring-schedule.
Although: Was there a day, when someone had the impression to leave San Francisco, or did anybody of you live„far away“?

GAVIN: Yeah, i mean i think as a band we´re very privileged in reality, so it´s not useable for every persons to be to…you know…this kind of all great distances but it does not have to be a huge move or a huge vacation that experienced something new. I mean within our state there are a lot of different ideals, you know, geographic differencies or something like that, that could be inspire me in my life

DINO: We travel so much thats it´s kind of nice to be…ähmm..you know, someone have family too, and you´re always far away from them most of the time, so it´s kind of nice to be at home. To have it´s comfort.

GAVIN: But you guys are lucky, that you have so many different countries within short distances. We have Mexico, but it´s …hmm… you know……..

We are talking about places. Is there a place that means a lot to you - that always will be associated with a special song or music – because something special happend there?

GAVIN: Well, i think probably Germany, just because that was one the first countries outside of our own that embraced the music, and we´ve met a lot of people there over the years and have friends there now. There are certain areas.

DINO: Oh, I remember that when we were doing „Information“. It´s a little bit inspired by like the german festivals which we were playing, you know, this feeling when you are playing outside, lots of people. It kind of inspired me a little bit with the drumming. You know what i mean?

Is there something that creeped into your life, but right now you don´t like it anymore? An addiction, a habit or something like that?

DINO: (Laughing) Well, something is always creeping in somehow.

GAVIN: I think we´re pretty good right now, i think, yeah. We´re pretty down, more than ever probably. Yeah, we´ve calm down a little bit.

DINO: Yeah, but this is about six weeks ago (laughing)

DINO: This is the fourth and least month on tour, two europe once one months, and two us ones once with like seven weeks long. So that was like since late february, so it´s been like a whole year. We haven´t been on tour for long time, so, we got kind of crazy for a while, you know, but now it´s kind of like pacing ourselves a little bit,……getting older

DINO: Well, we had more fun to be fucking drunk all the time, party hard..you know, it´s more fun, but it also brings you down more aswell.
When the shows starts suffering because of you partying to hard, then you´re kind of guilt, you know, kind of fuck…

GAVIN: It´s just a bad cycle in which you´re caught in.

But for sure there are thes days which are more normal and these days which are sort of exzessiv. It always depends on the city aswell, right?

GAVIN: Especially being in a different place every night, seeing people like: „hey can i give u a drink“ and you are in..ähhm.. vienna and u feel like an idiot for not maybe, because we´re all over here and might be my last time that i am able to do this, so i wanna go out. That´s the tough thing but I will not sitting in the bus and read when i am in vienna, you know what I mean.

For example: Your best friend is asking you for advice about new music stuff. Which record would you recommend him (beside yours).

GAVIN: Well, the new Elbow record is not bad, that´s a great album.

DINO: To be honest it´s not that much that´s like flaring me right now. It might just be me, my grand, my life or something but I just dont have anything that´s like or that feel like that i have to listen too.

GAVIN: I listen to a lot of mellow music, usually i listen to most of my music in the morning. Especially on tour.

I ask this, because there´s a nineteen year old girl right now, she´s from austria and her artist name is „Soap and Skin“? You know her?

GAVIN: No. How was it, „Soap and Skin“?

Yes. She plays piano and mixes it up with sounds from her notebook.

DINO: Does she sing in english?

Yeah. I have the cd for you.

GAVIN & DINO: Thanks, great man.

What was your last dream about?

DINO: Wow, fuck, it was really weird. I had to protect an ex-girlfriend against getting shot down by some like folks, on a top of this hill, at night…
Yeah, nothing makes sence when i am woke up, but it totally makes sence when i was dreaming it…kind of weird when u know everything that was happening…..
Yeah, we watched this really fucking creepy movie Paranormal Activity, so we watched that regulary before going to bed, so….you know…one reason for this fucked up dreams!

GAVIN: I remember that when I explain dreams they sound just terrible, so…I don´t know, I was running from cops and there was some weird drug thing. You know, it was kind of this dream when u watching a movie and there is some new drug there that would transform you, like shapeshift you on a different things….. i was running from the police and turned into water…..i dont know, but it was really great during the dream, but yeah, it sounds pretty boring right now.
Explaining dreams is like impossible.
I got mobed the other night in my dream, by a girl and i´d followed her and was camping outside of her house, waiting for her to come out to get my phone and wallet back (all laughing)
Yeah, pretty boring.

You said that this album is dedicated to Chi Cheng, the basser of Deftones.
did his accident and his incidental condition changed the view of something in your lives (which was quite normal until then)?

GAVIN: I mean always things like that were unsuspected, kind of shocking. I don´t know, i mean, it makes u to think about this person after, and you reclaim what happend to him as best as u can in your mind. It´s sad and whatever. It´s a shocking like that, a sudden death or anything like sudden accidents are always kind of choking.

Does anyone of you write - in the century of mails and internet – Do you like handwritten stuff?

GAVIN: Not that much. More email.

Wordrap:

Mozart:

GAVIN: Austria
DINO: Salzburg

Falco:

DINO: What?

It was an important musican from vienna. Maybe you know his song „Rock me Amadeus“?

GAVIN: Oh, yeah. Ok, i know that my answer have nothing to do with it, but my fist thought was „The Endless Story“,because of Falkor
DINO: laughing

Drugs:

GAVIN: Fun
DINO: I love them
(all laughing)

Opera or Classical Music:

GAVIN: Classical
DINO: Classical

Nature:

GAVIN: Economy
DINO: Hock

Preferd fruit:

GAVIN: Banana
DINO: Apple

Night:

GAVIN: Inspire
DINO: Drugs

Sade (the singer):

GAVIN: Horny
DINO: Sexy

Vinyl:

GAVIN: Dredg
DINO: 1970´s

Thank you guys, was a pleasure.

Also thanks to FM5 (where you can read the german version) and ROOO!!! - you rock, take care - we need you man!!!!!

Andres Godoy - Cafe/Kulturverein Neruda Wien

Der Botschafter der inneren Schönheit. Denn alles beginnt im Kopf.

Wahrlich ehrlich

„Sagt der Zeigefinger eines Tages ganz plötzlich zum Mittelfinger: Warum machen wir nicht gemeinsame Sache mit dem Ring- und dem kleinen Finger? Sie könnten uns ordentlich behilflich sein, würden neue Töne erschaffen, die Umsetzung von anfallenden Ideen ermöglichen. Wir bräuchten nicht länger nutzlos herumhängen und Trübsal blasen. Es ist so wie es ist, machen wir das Beste daraus.“
Gesagt getan, und der Daumen wurde auch noch gleich angeheuert.

Klingt vielleicht alles wie der Beginn einer der schlechtesten Witze überhaupt. In Wahrheit ist es die, von einem dem Herzen entsprungenem Lächeln begleitete, Geschichte über einen Neubeginn. Jahrelanges hartes Training, eine Ausgangssituation die sich unsereiner nur ganz schwer vorstellen kann, eine entwickelte Spieltechnik namens Taptap* und eine riesen Portion Liebe später, verzaubert uns diese linke Hand, versetzt sie uns in einen Zustand des Staunens. Von Chile über Los Angeles und New York bis in die Wiener Margaretenstraße.
Die Rede ist vom chilenischen Ausnahmegitarristen Andres Godoy und mit den einleitenden Worten probierte er uns die Situation zu beschreiben in der er sich nach einem Unfall, bei welchem er seine komplette rechte Hand verloren hatte, befand. Er war gerade einmal vierzehn Jahre alt und ein, laut eigener Aussage, weitaus besserer Gitarrist als heute. Schwer vorstellbar, trotz des Handicaps nur eine Gliedmaße benutzen zu können. Doch hat man Andres Godoy einmal kennengelernt, so versteht man plötzlich Einiges, fallen einem die teilweise bleiernen Schuppen, welche unserer Augen und somit unsere Sicht auf die profunden Dinge viel zu oft versperren, wie Blätter von den herbstlichen Bäumen im Stadtpark ab. Andres hat für sich erkannt, dass eine Hand immer noch ein riesen Geschenk sein kann, und transportiert diese Weisheit nicht nur mit seinem Gitarrenspiel, sondern auch als 100% Mensch.
So skurril es auch klingen mag, dieser Mann ist wahrlich ein Botschafter des Lichts.

Proxima Parada: Alemánia/Achen

In Chile schon längst ein „Star“, eine Institution im Bereich der Musikszene, sei es als Produzent, als Vizepräsident, als Direktor einer Rockschule, als Mitwirkender bei diversen kulturellen Aktivitäten oder eben als Musiker mit diversen Bands, übersiedelte er im April 2009 nach Deutschland. Ein Visum ermöglichte ihm einen sechsmonatigen Aufenthalt, den er durchgehend dazu benutzte um zu touren. Solo, mit seiner Gitarre.
Und auch wenn es immer mehr den Anschein hat, dass es schon alles geben möge im immer größer werdenden Europa, so ist auf dem Sektor südamerikanischer MusikerInnen schon noch jede Menge Platz nach oben. Ich hatte mir auch nie gedacht jemals mit einem interessiertem Auge auf diese Szenerie zu schielen, wenn man dann aber die Sprache vermisst die einem monatelang begleitete, dann sucht man sich auch in der alten neuen Heimat Plätze, an denen man Deutsch nicht zwingend braucht. Und dank mitgebrachter Connection und einem bisschen Glück gibt es plötzlich auch in Wien erste Plätze, an denen man sich in einer spanisch sprechenden Community bewegen kann.
Das dann auch gleich ein jahrelang in Chile als Veranstalter diverser Musikalischer Aktivitäten tätig Gewesener unter den vielen neuen Leuten ist, das trifft sich natürlich besonders gut.
Genau dieser fungierte auch als Organisator dieses Events.

Neruda

Einen Steinwurf neben dem guten alten Schikaneder gelegen und sicherlich schon zig Male von mir gestreift, befindet sich das Neruda, eine Bar bzw. ein Kulturverein, der wöchentlich mit einem kleinen Programm zu verzücken weiß.
Das Andres Godoy dort einmal auftreten würde, das hat er selbst mit einem schienbar nicht wahrhaben wollenden Gesichtsausdruck dargelegt. Er meinte sogar, dass sich seine Freunde in Chile gar nicht vorstellen könnten, das er mit der Gitarre ganz Europa betoure – vor Publikum. Aber genau das ist eines der Phänomene. Ich bin ja nicht gerade derjenige, der seit Jahren auf der Suche nach spanisch sprechendem Austausch ist, geschweige denn stundenlang spanische Liedtexte erträgt. Meiner Wahrnehmung zufolge dürfte Wien diesbezüglich aber gerade einen sogenannten „Schub“ verzeichnen, sich in diese Richtung öffnen. Vielleicht ist es mir früher einfach nicht aufgefallen, so wie vieles.
Genau dort knüpft auch die Idee eines neugewonnene Kontaktes an, nämlich die sehr wohl vorhandene und auch interessante Musiklandschaft Südamerikas, sei es eher traditionelle Musik im Stile der (Süd)Americana Bewegung oder doch eher Rock/Pop-lastigeres Material.

sin espacio escénico pero convincente

Bühne gab´s natürlich keine, ein kleiner Verstärker und eine Tasche voll Geschichten reichten aus. Das Publikum, bei weitem nicht nur spanisch sprechend, was auch auf das scheinbar vorhandene Interesse diesbezüglicher Kunst verwies. Das Konzert, ein Augen- und Ohrenschmaus. Der Protagonist, ein wie vom Ojos del Salado herab strahlender Sonnengott.
Wirklich beeindruckend und nicht das ich skeptisch gewesen wäre, aber wenn ich plötzlich jemanden mit nur einer Hand Gitarrenläufe spielen sehe wie wenn er über Vier verfügen würde, von Rock bis hin zu Salsa und Tango alles gebracht wird, dann fehlen mir doch ein bisschen die Worte, auch wenn das sonst gar nicht so meine Musik ist. Gesungen wurde auch noch, zweisprachig.

Resümee

Ein in mehrheitlicher Hinsicht Eindruck hinterlassender Abend war das. Wahrlich ehrlich eben. Schön, dass man sich mehr als zuvor auf seine Gefühle verlassen kann.
Auch für Andres Godoy war es ein gelungener Einstieg in eine Stadt, die es jetzt auch für mich wieder einmal neu zu entdecken gibt. Aber genau so funktioniert das gerade, und wenn dem nicht so ist, dann muss man es Andres gleich machen, nämlich seine Sachen packen und sich in ein Abenteuer stürzen. Gut zu wissen, dass auch das immer wieder funktionieren wird.

*Taptap – ist eine Spielweise der Gitarre die sich aus den schon existierenden Stilen hammering, tapping und der Vortragsweise legato zusammensetzt.